Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Nov 8: The cyber thieves seem to have realised the potential of WhatsApp to siphon off money belonging to others. They earlier were more dependent on e-mail hacking to create fake profiles, seeking money emergently, and pocketing the money so received. This crime has become less now as awareness about such crimes is spreading fast. Some of them had hacked Facebook accounts and made money.

One of the ways the cheaters follow is to download display pictures in WhatsApp numbers. For the remaining numbers they make people believe that they have acquired new numbers and thereby make people to cough up money. Many of the cyber thieves get engaged in this work at night as they feel that people do not call others at night.

On the other hand, the thieves become friendly with the others on WhatsApp and give number to create new WhatsApp account. They call you and get the OTP through which they collect all the details. And in the third method, they use phones which do not have security enabled PIN in WhatsApp.

Experts say that using security pin is a good method to save oneself from frauds. Cyber thieves can also take control of the mobile phones through remote desk top, remote screen savers etc, it is said. Apps like SMS forward enable them to get access to messages. Storing of number of people whom you do not know increase the risk of hour DP and other information getting leaked.

Cyber safety expert from Gurpur, Dr Ananth Prabhu, says that the cyber thieves normally use their numbers to look like those of NRIs and cheat people by using virtual numbers. He advises WhatsApp users to avail of WhatsApp security PIN and ensure that the DP is visible to only those who are close to you.